MANCHESTER, N.H. — Gov. Larry Hogan is stepping up preparations for a 2020 White House bid as he moves slowly toward challenging President Trump in the Republican primary.

Maryland’s chief executive has been holding regular meetings with his political team to pore over data and mull how a campaign against Trump might unfold. Hogan also is using previously scheduled travel to more than a dozen states, including an invitation to Utah to attend Sen. Mitt Romney’s annual summit with top Republican insiders, to meet with political operatives, donors, and business leaders.

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